Sanitary hutch



Feb. 20, 1934. E. A. CORBIN, JR

SANITARY HUTCH Filed Sept. 15, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l 5 [A BER /i?CofiswJ/e,

ATTORNEY,

Feb. 20, 1934. E. A. CORBIN, JR 1,947,698

SANITARY HUTCH Filed Sept. 15. 19.31 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 II mwm Z'fi g Z /Z/0 9 ZZB'AT/V. CURB/Auk A TTORNE Y.

Patented Feb. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SANITARY HUTCH ElbertA. Corbin, Jr., Swarthmore, Pa., assignor of one-half to William C.Biddle, Landsdowne, Pa.

Application September 15, 1931 Serial No. 562,849

1 Claim.

of which are readily accessible from the front thereof, to facilitatethe tending of the animals kept in the hutch, such as the removal oftheir oifal or the replenishing of their feed.

My invention further relates to a novel hutch construction which isprovided with a rear ventilator which is readily accessible foradjustment or control through the front door of the hutch.

My invention further relates to a hutch having a two-part floor, partsof said floor being slanted towards the center of the hutch, and beingjoined by a central wire netting floor portion, which, if desired, mayextend clear through the width of the hutch.

My invention further relates to a hutch of this general character whichis provided with a bottom bracket or support which is adapted to engageand support a sliding pan in registration with the wire netting portionof the floor of the hutch, said pan being adapted to receive thedroppings which flow thereinto by the force of gravity due to theslanting position of the floor sections. 7

My invention further relates to a novel hutch of the general characterset forth which may be shipped in a knocked-down condition, and whichmay be assembled at minimum cost in time or effort.

My invention further relates to a novel hutch which lends itself to beassembled in tiers or batteries, if so desired.

My invention further relates to various other novel features ofconstruction and advantage, all as hereinafter described and claimed inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a hutch embodying myinvention, the front wire door being removed.

Figure 2 represents a section on line 22 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 represents a front elevation of Figure 2.

Figure 4 represents a section on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 represents a section on line 55 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 represents the method of assembling a plurality of hutches intoa tier or battery.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in theaccompanying drawings forms thereof which are at present preferred byme, since they will give in practice satisfactory and reliable results,although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities ofwhich my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized andthat my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement andorganization of these instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Referring to the drawings, in which like reference characters indicatelike parts, my'novel hutchconsists of a back 1, side walls 2, top 3, andfront walls 4 and 5. 6 and 7 designate floor sections which slantdownwardly from the opposed side walls 2 towards the center of thehutch, said floor sections 6 and 7 being joined by the wire netting 8,under which is thesupporting bracket 9 which is adapted to receive thedrip pan 10. The drip pan supporting bracket 9 and the wire netting 8are both se-' cured to the corresponding edges of the floor sections 6and 7 by a single fastening device and operation, such as the driving ofa single nail or screw, or the like. The slanting floor sections 6 and 7are preferably supported onthe braces 12 which extend completely aroundthe hutch along the inner sides of the vertical walls 1, 2, 4 and 5thereof. The drip pan supporting bracket 9 is preferably of a heightslightly less than the distance between the braces 12 and the floorline, so as to form a support for the inner edges of the floor sections6 and 7 at a point slightly lower than the position of the braces 12where they abut against the inner sides of the side walls 2, so that thefloor sections 6 and 7 are supported along substantially all theirperimeters. In the rear wall 1 of the hutch are provided a series ofholes 14 and a draft slide 15 which may be manipulated by means of thepin 16, the draft slide 15 being provided with openings 17 to registerwith the openings 14 to whatever extent is necessary to permit the entryof a controlled amount of air into the hutch. To the front wall 4 of thehutch is hinged the wire door 18 which is adapted to be locked by anysuitable means to the other front wall 5 as at 19. The wire door 18carries a hay rack 20 adapted to contain feed for the animals keptwithin thehutch.

In Figure 6, I have illustrated one way of assembling a plurality ofhutches into a tier, and this is accomplished by superimposing thehutches upon each other in adjacent, contiguous, vertical rows, asillustrated in Figure 6. Bolts 24 are adapted to pass through the bottomends of the adjacent side walls of the contiguous hutches, there being areinforcing metal strip 25 positioned between adjacent side walls of thehutches to take up the play and to serve as a binder between an upperand a lower pair of hutches, since, as will be seen from Figure 6, theupper bolt 24 passes through the upper end of the metal strip 25 and thelower ends of the adjacent side walls of the contiguous hutches, whilethe lower end of the metal strip 25 receives the lower bolt 24 whichpasses through the upper portions of the adjacent side walls of thecontiguous hutches, so that in this way each pair of juxtaposed hutchesare secured together and are simultaneously secured to the pair ofhutches next below or next above them.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have produced anextremely simplified hutch construction, which can be shipped in aknocked-down condition and assembled by the. purchaser almostinstantaneously, and it will further. be seen that my novel hutch canreceive all the. attention necessary, from the removal of the drip pan10 to the cleaning of the floor sections. 6 and 7, as well as theadjustment of. control of the ventilating. mechanism in the back wall,by approach from the front, so that, when the hutches are built intotiers, or are positioned singly against a vertical'wall or hedge, it,will not be necessary to have rear access to the hutches.

A. further distinct advantage of my present construction is that bypositioning the drip pan 10,. and? its adjuncts, in the center of thehutch with two floor sections slanting towards the drippan, I reduce toa minimum the length of the distance to be traveled by the: excretionsof the rabbits, thereby decreasing to a minimum the tendency of suchexcretions to dry before reaching the: drip pan, which would be the caseif the drip pan were: to be located at the rear end of a continuousfloor the size of the sections 6 and 7 here shown, wherein the urine ofthe rabbits at the end of the floor away from the drip pan must travelthe entire distance of the floor before reaching the drip pan, so that agreat amount of it dries, and only the balance will reach the drip pan,thus encrusting the floor of the hutch with an unsantiary and anill-smelling deposit. It has heretofore been attempted to build hutches,the floors of which were made completely out of wire netting, with adrip pan positioned below the floor of the hutch of a size equivalent tothe size of the floor of the hutch. Obviously, a drip pan of this natureis highly unwieldy for the attendant to handle, as it is well known thatflat vessels containing liquids cannot be carried about without dangerof spillage. Furthermore, when a drip pan is used. which extendsentirely under a wire netting floor, it is obvious that the rabbits, orother animals, kept in the hutch are at all times in a position tobreathe the fumes and vapors: emanating from the drip pan below, therebymaking it impossible for the animals to breathe. suiiicient fresh air.By my construction, a rabbit sitting on the floor sections 6 and 7, atany point other than the wire netting 8, is at all times protectedagainst the fumes and. vapors arising from the drip pan entering thenostrils of the animals in a direct and undiluted condition.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

In a hutch, a sectional floor composed of imperforate sections slantingtowards the center of the hutch, a perforated fioor section joining thelongitudinal edges of said solid section, braces carried by the verticalwalls of'said' hutch for supporting said solid sections along theirouter perimeters, a bracket adapted to support the inner longitudinaledges of said imperforate sections and. to receive a removable drip pan,a ventilator in the back wall of said hutch, and a hinged door in thefront wall of said hutch, said ventilator being accessible through saiddoor.

ELBERT A. CORBIN, JR.

